The field of the invention is a drive system and method for cleaning swarf from a conveyor belt. More specifically, the field of the invention is a drive system that has a single motor designed to control two conveyors with a cleat connected to a conveyor belt link for cleaning swarf from between the run and return portions of the conveyors.
Industrial conveyor systems have been utilized to transport a variety of components including, for example, waste metal and other scrap. Conventional conveyor systems typically utilize a plurality of conveyors, wherein each conveyor is powered by a motor. In one particular instance, a “sandwich” conveyor includes two conveyors oriented adjacent each other to form a gap there between. Material is pulled into the gap and held tightly between the conveyors as the material is transported through the sandwich conveyor. Sandwich conveyors allow heavy material to be transported upwardly at a significant pitch. Sandwich conveyor systems require significant amounts of power to pull the material up the incline, particularly when the material is heavy.
In many instances, existing conveyor systems are often designed to attempt to overcome the aforementioned problems through the use of various motors or through various conveyor system configurations. In some instances, one motor is supplied to power each conveyor belt. In other instances, one motor is supplied to provide power to more than one conveyor belt, but such conveyor belts do not include severe inclines. In further instances, one motor is provided that supplies power to more than one conveyor belt, but the motor must operate at extreme operating conditions to be capable of supplying the required amount of power that drives the conveyor belts.
While existing systems and techniques for operating more than one conveyor belt using a single motor work well in some applications, unfortunately known systems have several shortcomings. First, the use of more than one motor in conventional conveyor systems increases power consumption, which increases capital, operational, and maintenance costs associated with the conveyor system. Second, many conveyor systems are restricted to conveyor belts having gradual inclines. These systems take up significantly more space and resources due to their “switchback” setup. Third, many single motor systems that operate at upper limits of the motors capacity burn out quickly and are inefficient. In these instances, the motors must be replaced more frequently.
A variety of systems have been used for cleaning swarf from endless conveyor belts. These past systems are generally known as swarf discharging conveyor systems. The main goal of these systems is to clean as much swarf as possible from the conveyor and the lubricating liquid/coolant being used to lubricate/cool the conveyor. The systems usually include some sort of cleat or a hinged belt link that acts as a cleat to remove swarf from the conveyor and potentially push the swarf into a discharge container.
While these past swarf discharging conveyor systems have proven themselves useful, they have some shortcomings. First, they may not allow for different sizes of swarf to be discharged. Second, they may not be able to effectively drain the lubricating liquid/coolant from the swarf. Third, they may allow for swarf to get wedged in the conveyor belt, specifically between the run and return portions of the conveyor belt. Therefore, there is a need for a more effective swarf discharging conveyor system.